Denver once again becomes a cow town this month with the annual arrival of the National Western Stock Show .

This year’s show runs from Jan. 9-24 at the National Western Complex, located off I-70 at Humboldt Street. The schedule of events includes rodeos, displays and entertainment activities.

However, as the name implies, much of the focus of the event centers around livestock. The National Western had been called the Super Bowl of stock shows as more than 15,000 heads of horses, cattle sheep, swine, goats, llamas, alpacas, bison, yak, poultry and rabbits will be on the grounds at times during the show.

Cattle are the most numerous livestock with 20 breeds being judged in competitions during National Western.

Other livestock-related events include a sheep-shearing contest and draft-horse competitions. A popular event is the catch-a-calf competition, where young livestock enthusiasts try to catch a calf they keep and are judged next year on their ability to raise and care for the animal.

Sales are a big part of livestock activities during the National Western where millions of dollars change hands for purchases that can range from buying a carload of cattle to purchase of one of the prize-winning animals.

The first wave of the thousands of animals will begin arriving at the National Western Stock Show soon after the first of the year so stabling the animals requires coordination because of the limited space.

For example, in the cattle barns, the animals scheduled for upcoming shows are bedded down in the stalls. When it is time for them to go to the show ring, the cattle are washed, blow dried and combed to get them looking their best. In one barn, a sign over a wash area for cattle identifies it as, “The Bovine Beauty Shop.” Once that breed’s shows are complete, the animals are either auctioned off or loaded up to be taken home, the stalls are cleaned and made ready for the next occupants. The same type of scheduling takes place in the horse barns.

Entertainment also schedule includes 23 rodeo performances during first stop of the year for members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association.

Each rodeo performance features competition in bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping and barrel racing plus there are specialty acts are booked to perform during breaks in the rodeo.

The rodeo events are in the Coliseum while, at the other end of the National Western complex, the Events Center will be equally busy as the site of horse competitions.

There will be breed shows and competitions as well as activities that include the Grand Prix jumping event, an evening of Dancing Horses and a daily schedule of riding and performance competitions.

The Equestrian Center is also the site of the Wild West Show, an event fashioned after the turn-of-the-century performances produced by Buffalo Bill Cody.

The National Western Stock Show is Colorado's largest trade show. The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce reports the 2005 National Western Stock Show had an economic impact of about $84.1 million a figure that has grown by about $8 million since the report based on the ’98 stock show.

For information on times, location and tickets for one or more events, call the stock show at 303-297-1166 or visit the Web site at www.nationalwestern.com.

The web site includes a schedule of events, a history of the National Western, details on specific competitions as well as a map to the National Western Complex.